Best known as a founding team member of Priceline.com, having lead the development of Priceline YardSale, Jeff Hoffman is an accomplished entrepreneur and innovator.
As a 22-year-old graduate of the University at Albany, Jacques Bastien made one of the biggest decisions of his life in August, 2012. He signed a three-year lease on what would be the first office for boogie, his fledgling graphic design business. After making the deal, he had a total of $250 in the bank.
Handpicked from more than 2,000 applicants, five high-growth startups were well prepared as they pitched to a room full of venture capitalists and angel investors at StartFast Demo Day 2015.
The organizers of IGNITEU NY, a new early accelerator aimed at encouraging the Capital Region’s most promising student entrepreneurs to grow their businesses locally, are calling the seven-week program a big success, due largely to the enthusiastic participation of the local business community.
When starting a company, receiving and implementing good advice early on can be the difference between success and failure. In Upstate New York there is a lot of wisdom available to first-time entrepreneurs to help save them time, money and heartache throughout their journeys.
If David Dussault had one message for entrepreneurs who turned out for his Startup Grind Albany appearance July 23, it was this: The key to a successful business is not the idea you plan to develop, but the quality of the team you assemble.
The inaugural class of new IgniteU NY will pitch their new businesses to investors. IgniteU NY is the region’s first all-student early accelerator.
Among the companies presenting is ChugaChaga Inc., led by University of Albany seniors Luke Evans and Marc Iskander. They aim to develop their company into a national brand for bottled tea made with chaga, an antioxidant-rich mushroom that grows on birch trees in cold climates.
On July 23rd, Gorbel Medical held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly constructed Gaitway Center at their corporate headquarters in Victor, New York. The new center will be used as a conference and education space. As a simulated physical therapy facility, the Gaitway Center is equipped with a SafeGait™ 360 Dynamic Body-Weight Support System and other rehabilitation equipment necessary to educate therapists on the use of the SafeGait system and to conduct research.
Formerly operating as the Alfred Ceramics Innovation Center, IncubatorWorks will now expand to a third location in Horseheads, N.Y., catering to advanced manufacturing tenants.
Lead by COO, CFO Nancy Kirby Kurjakovic and Executive Director Alan Rae, IncubatorWorks is a resource for business startups and expansions.
Micah Green and a team of Cornell University students have been hard at work creating the first housekeeping robot for hotels. Green started working on the venture that introduces automation into the hospitality industry in an effort to reduce costs and injury rates at hotels. Maidbot robots clean the bedroom, bathroom and hallway floors completely and autonomously, which can save hotels an estimated $9,000 per unit.
